Path to Sahara issue settlement is clearly defined, Morocco says
Morocco-Algeria, Politics, 10/5/2002

"The way to the settlement of the so-called Question of Sahara is clearly defined," said Mohamed Bennouna, Morocco's permanent representative to the United Nations.

"It rests, as rightly recognized by analysts and the international opinion, in the devolution of large competences to regional institutions, commonly agreed, in a manner to heal the wounds, ensure stability in the Maghreb region and accelerate its development," Bennouna said Thursday at a debate on the Sahara issue within the U.N. 4th commission.

The diplomat underlined that Morocco "is willing to engage on this path that has proven its viability." He voiced hope that Algeria will realize that blowing on the fire of separatism does not serve Maghreban interests. "Once broken out, fire will spare no one," he warned.

Bennouna wondered why the 4th commission continues to debate the Sahara issue after years and decades. He described as "surrealist" such debate on the Moroccan southern provinces, where the population lives in serenity. He noted, in this connection, that this population elected last week its representatives in the Moroccan House of Representatives.

"This peace process would allow Algeria to normalize its relations with Morocco and to maximize its benefit from the free movement of people and goods between the Mediterranean region, Sahara and the Atlantic," Bennouna said.

The diplomat underlined that Algeria and the Polisario refused to get involved in the negotiation advocated by James Baker and by the U.N. Security Council with no attention paid to chapter VI of the U.N. charter relating to the peaceful settlement of disputes, which places negotiation on top of the available means to resolve disputes.

"To crown it all, these two parties (Algeria and the Polisario) proposed to the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary General the partition of the territory, simply ignoring the right to self-determination which they nevertheless advocate as an intangible principle in international forums and within this committee," he added.

"Morocco has no intention to sit in judgment over anyone. We are trying to move forward the settlement of an old dispute in its political and humanitarian aspects, while restoring hope in the entire Maghreb region and to its population," Bennouna underlined.

"Let bygones be bygones. We must look forward to the future with resolve and with no grudge for acrimony," he said.

He voiced Morocco's hope to "seize this right moment to initiate in good faith, loyal negotiations." "Obviously, we do not need to be in agreement in advance in order to lay out the outlines of the dispute between the parties and to bring out elements of agreement and disagreement in a way to set up reconciliation mechanisms," he insisted.

The delegate voiced Morocco's gratitude to United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, and for James Baker, for the "tireless efforts they pursue to reconcile the views of the parties in the interest of stability and sustainable development in the Maghreb region."

Previous Stories:
  Liberte: Algeria was behind creation of Sahara issue, Youssoufi   (9/26/2002)
  Polisario military chief rejects Algerian proposal to partition Moroccan sahara   (9/24/2002)
  Algeria's proposal to partition Moroccan sahara, an attempt to foil efforts to settle issue   (9/23/2002)

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